I love my soapstone counters and have some soapstone tile that I am using to finish off the top of my workbench 'island.' I have seen lots of posts about DIYing (thicker) soapstone counters, but my questions are specific to thinner 1/2" tiles. Many of the posts are quite old and when I search for products like "diamond sanding pads" I am not finding much.

I need to make one 8" cut (cutting a 16x16 in half). We have a jigsaw and circular saw and a friend with an actual tile saw. What's the best and simplest way to get the straightest cut?

Some of my tiles are lumpy, and I would like to smooth down the bumps, as well as where the edges meet (there will be no grout.) We have an orbital sander, or can manually sand. What is recommended to do that?

Thank you for any help!